Crane.



No. 655,533. Patented Aug. 7, |900. I S. T. C.' H. WELLMAN & J. W.SEAVER.

CRANE.

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No. 655,533. Patented Aug. 7, |900. s.v T. & c. H. wELLMAN s. J'. w.sEAvEn. CRANE.

(Application filed July 21, 189B.)4 (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 655,533. v Patented Aug. 7, |900. S. T. & C. H. WELLMAN 8,. J. W'.SEAVER.

CRANE.

(Application :Bled July 21, 1898.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3,

i 2*/ Y i. i

No. 655,533. Patented Aug. 7, |900. S. T. C. H. WELLMAN & J. W. SEAVER.CRANE.

(Application led July 21, 1898.) (H0 Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4` iUNrrnnSTATES PATENT Enron.

SAMUEL T. VELLMAN, CHARLES XVELLMAN, AND JOHN 1V. SEAVER, OF CLEVELAND,OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE 'WELLMAN-SEAVER ENGINEERf ING COMPANY, OF SAMEPLACE.

CRANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,533, dated August7, 1900.

Application tiled July 2l, 1898.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL T. WELLMAN, CHARLES H.WELLMAN,and JOHN W.SEAvER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Cleveland, Ohio,have invented certain Improvements in Cranes, of which the following isa specification.

Our invention consists of mechanism intended for the quick andconvenient chargio ing, handling, and pouring of glass-pots, the objectof our invent-ion being to enable these operations to be performed withthe minimum amount of manual labor and with the greatest expedition.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram representing part ofa glass-making plant equipped in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2is a transverse section, on a larger scale, ofthe furnace-room of theplantf zo Fig. 3 is a transverse section, on the same scale as Fig. 2,through the casting-hall. Fig. 4 is a view, on a still larger scale,illustrating the trolley and the devices carried thereby formanipulating the glass-pot. Fig. is a view, partly in plan and partly insection, on the v line Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional detailshereinafter referred to.

In Fig. 1 the furnace-room of a glass-making plant is represented at 1and part of the 3o casting-hall at 2, the latter being in the presentinstance at right angles to the furnaceroom, although such arrangementis not neeessary to the proper carrying out of our invention, as thefurn ace-room and casting-hall may occupy any desired relation to eachother Without departing from the main features of our invention.

Extending throughout the furnace-room are two lines of parallel girders3 3 and 4 4, which 4o support rails constituting runways for the Wheelsof one or more crane girders or bridges 5, which can thus run along thefurnace-room on either side of the line of furnaces.

The crane-girder is composed of plates,

beams, or shapes bolted together, so as to insure a structure of thenecessary rigidity, and it has longitudinal rails for receiving thewheels of a trolley 6, which can thus be traversed from end to end ofthe said crane-girder.

Serial No. 686,518. (No model.)

l The trolley has a rigid depending ring '7, at the 5o bottom of whichis an annular rack 8, and suitably suspended Within the ring 7 is a ring9, which carries the mechanism whereby the manipulation of the glass-potis effected, said ring 9 being preferably mounted upon a ball- 55bearing in the ring 7, so that it can be freely turned therein. Suchturning movement of the ring 9 is effected by means of a bevelpinion 10,meshing with the annular rack 8 and carried by a shaft 10, which isadapted to a 6o bearing 10b on the ring 9, Fig. 6, and is driven by anelectric or other motor 11, of any desired character, likewise mountedupon the ring 9, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, said motorshafthaving a spur-pinion 11, which meshes 65 into a spur-wheel 11b on theshaft 10a.

Depending from the ring 9 are legs 12,Which constitute'guides foropposite cheek-pieces 13 upon a frame 14, said frame being sus pended bymeans of chains 15, which pass 7o over sprocket-Wheels 16 upon a shaftmounted in bearings on the ring 9 and driven by an electric or othermotor 17, the opposite depending end of each chain being provided thesprocket-Wheels 16 the frame 14 can be readily raised or lowered. Saidframe 14 has bearings for a spindle 19, having a projecting head 20, towhich are pivoted the opposite arms or jaws of a pair of tongs 21, thepro- 8o jecting portions of these tongs being curved,

so that they are adapted to grip an ordinary glass-pot 22 and the inneror short arms of the tongs being connected by toggle-levers 23 to oneend of a rod 24, which passes through 85 the spindle 19 and is adaptedto be moved longitudinally by means of a lever 25 or by any othersuitable mechanism havinga swivel connection 24a with said rod, so thatthe latter is free to turn With the spindle 19, as 9o shown in Fig. 7.On said spindle 19 is a Worm-Wheel 26, With whichL meshes a Worm 27 on atransverse shaft 28, the latter being geared by suitable spur-Wheels 29and 30 to the shaft of an electric or other motor 3l, 95 mounted uponthe frame 14. The latter has at the inner end a platform 32, on whichthe attendant having charge of the device may With a counterweight 18,so that by turning p filled.

stand or sit, and this platform may also be provided with vthe switchesand regulators whereby the flow of current to the various clectricmotors is controlled when said electric motors are employed.

It will be evident from the above description that the tongs 2l can havesuch variety of movement as will adapt them for the performance of' anyduty to which they are likely to be subjected in the charging, handling,or pouring of the glass-pot. Thus the tongs can be caused to enter orcan be Withdrawn from the furnace by the movement of the trolley 6 onthe crane-girder 5, the vframe carrying the tongs can be raised andlowered, so as to occupy any desired vertical position, the tongs can beopened and closed as desired, the shaft 19 may be turned throughouteither the Whole or any part of a rotation, so as to pour out thecontents of the pot, and the frame 14, with its tongs and their load,can be rotated in a horizontal plane. Hence the placing cf the potaccurately in the furnace or the pouring of the contents of the potaccurately upon atable located in any position may be readily effected.

In a construction such as shown `in the drawings, in which thecasting-hall is at right angles to the furnace-chamber, said castinghallis provided with longitudinal girders 33, upon which is mounted adiagonally-braced carriage 34 of suitable construction, having railswhich form continuaticns of those upon the girders 3 or 4 of' thefurnace-room, so that the crane-girder 5 can be readily run onto thecarriage 3l and can with the latter be transported to any desiredposition in the casting-hall. Vhen the crane 'carrying an empty pot isreturned to the furnace-room, the pot may be readily recharged from avessel 35, suspended from a supplementary trolley 36 on the crane-girder5, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 2, the charging vessel beingthen run ont of the Way, as shown at the right-hand side of Fig. 2,while the freshlycharged pot is being placed in the furnace.

W'hen the crane 5 is run onto the carriage 3i, the latter can be movedto any desired position at which itis desired to run off the trolley 36and its charging vessel 35 to be re- Hence it is not necessary to runthe heavy trolley 6, with its tong-operating mechanism, to saidfilling-station.

It will be understood that the furnaces are intended to be provided withsliding and counterbalanced or other readily-movable doors.

With apparatus such as above described all of the operations of chargingthe pot with material, placing it in the furnace, removing the pot, withits iiuid contents, from the furnace, conveying it to the casting-hall,pouring its contents upon the casting-table, and returning the pot tothe furnace can be effected with the utmost expedition and accuracy Withthe aid of but a single attendant.

have shown and described may be modified in many ways by those skilledin the art' Without departing from the essential features of ourinvention.

Hence, Without restricting ourselves to'specilic details ofconstruction, We claim as our invent-ion and desire to secure by LettersPatent- 1. Glass-pot-handling apparatus comprising a crane having atrolley with pot-gripping tongs combined With provision for opening andclosing said tongs and for turning the same so as to tilt the pot,substantially as specified.

2. Glass-pot-handling apparatus comprising a crane with trolley havingpot-gripping tongs combined With mechanism for opening and closing thesame, for turning the tongs so as to tilt the pot, and for raising andlowering said tongs, substantially as specified.

3. Glass-pot-handling apparatus comprising a crane having two trolleysmounted thereon and movable independently of each other, one carryingthe pot-handling mechanism and the other carrying a charging vesselwhereby the pot may be refilled after being emptied, substantially asspecified.

4. The combination of a crane having a trolley with frame mountedthereon, a shaft mounted in said frame and carrying a pair ofpot-gripping tongs, and a rod passing through -said shaft or spindle andserving to open and close said tongs, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a crane, a trolley mounted thereon and providedwith depending legs, a frame on said trolley having portions guidcdvertically by said depending legs, means on said trolley for raising andlowering said frame, a pair of horizontal gripping-tongs carried by saidframe, and mechanism mounted on the frame for effecting a partialrotation of said tongs on the horizontal axis thereof for tipping aglass pot carried thereby, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the crane, a trolley mounted so as to travel onsaid crane and having an annular rack, a ring mounted so as to be freeto turn on said trolley and having gearing meshing with said rack, and apair of gripping-tongs and mechanism for operating the same carried bysaidV rings, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL T. VELLMAN. CHARLES H. VELLMAN. JOHN W. SEAVER.

YVit-nesses:

C. W. CoMsTocK, JOHN MGGEORGE.

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